As of April 2026 (during the ongoing Artemis II lunar flyby mission), there is currently NO operational crewed Moon lander ready for use with Orion😂.

In addition, this is the first time NASA has relied on a non-US partner , 🇪🇺 European space agency ESA for a critical, mission-essential element such as service module of a crewed US spacecraft Orion .

It is worth to emphasize that Building an equivalent service module from scratch in the US would have required additional funding without results likely doubling current 95+B spent public resources and delay it for years

Combined SLS + Orion stack + related ground infrastructure: Over $44–50 billion by the early 2020s, with broader Artemis program costs (including these vehicles) reaching ~$93 billion through fiscal year 2025 according to NASA’s Office of Inspector General

SLS was formally directed by Congress in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. NASA announced the specific design in September 2011 as a replacement for the retired Space Shuttle and the cancelled Constellation program's Ares rockets. It heavily reuses Shuttle-derived hardware (e.g., RS-25 engines, solid rocket booster technology, and external tank-inspired core stage structures).

Current Status of the Lunar Lander (Human Landing System - HLS)

After dumping almost $100B on the Orion program since 2014, NASA just happened to decide not to develop its own government-built lunar lander😂. Instead, it awarded contracts to commercial companies like spacex ( that as of 2026) FAILED to produce anything under the Human Landing System (HLS) program:

Primary Contractor SpaceX’ Starship HLS (a modified version of Starship designed to land astronauts on the lunar surface from lunar orbit, support surface operations, and return them to Orion) requiring orbital refueling (multiple tanker Starships) for full capability remains a pure FICTION as of April 2026 while spacex investors are rushing to cash out via ipo coming as soon as June 2026 before the failure of any actual working spacex starship delivery becomes too hard to ignore.

The first crewed lunar landing has been restructured and is now targeted for Artemis IV (around 2028), not Artemis III. Artemis III (mid-2027) is now planned as a demonstration mission in low Earth orbit to test rendezvous and docking between Orion and one or both HLS vehicles (Starship HLS and/or Blue Moon). No lunar landing is planned on that flight.

An uncrewed HLS demonstration landing is “hoped” for late 2026–2027, with crewed landing capability maturing for 2028.

Delays stem mainly from Starship development challenges (e.g., in-space propellant transfer/refueling, which slipped from 2025 to 2026), lander-specific modifications, and overall integration risks. NASA and partners continue making progress (SpaceX has completed dozens of HLS milestones), but the lander is still in active development and testing — not flight-ready for crewed lunar surface ops yet.

As of early April 2026, SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System (HLS) — the lunar variant for NASA's Artemis program — remains in “active development” but faces ongoing technical and schedule challenges. It has not yet flown in its dedicated lunar configuration.

SpaceX reports completing “49 contract milestones” related to subsystems, infrastructure, and operations for lunar landings. This includes testing of life support, thermal control, docking, and landing

It is reported they have begun building a flight-article Starship HLS cabin with functional avionics, power systems, crew systems, environmental control/life support, communications, and thermal control.

Key Upcoming Tests (Targeted for 2026)

Long-duration flight test and in-space propellant transfer (ship-to-ship refueling demonstration) — critical for the HLS to operate beyond low Earth orbit. These depend on Starship V3/Block 3 progress.

Design Adjustments

SpaceX is evaluating a simplified mission architecture to accelerate timelines, improve crew safety, and enable a faster return to the Moon.

Schedule and Artemis Context

• No uncrewed lunar HLS demo has occurred yet (originally eyed for 2025).😂

• Artemis III target ~2027 has been restructured as a low Earth orbit (LEO) test mission to demonstrate Orion docking/rendezvous with the Starship HLS (and possibly Blue Origin's Blue Moon). It will not include a lunar landing.😂

• The first crewed lunar landing with Starship HLS is now more likely for Artemis IV or later targeting ~2028), following further delays.😂🤞

• NASA watchdogs (OIG, Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel) have flagged significant schedule risks, with HLS potentially "YEARS LATE " relative to earlier optimistic timelines. Orbital refueling and human-rating remain major hurdles.

Challenges

1. Orbital propellant transfer at scale has never been done and is a prerequisite.
2. Integration issues, vehicle height, manual control implementation, and reliability of Starship's core systems (despite rapid iterative flights).
3. Overall Starship program delays (e.g., booster catch attempts, V3 upgrades)

SpaceX continues parallel development of the core Starship (self-funded for most aspects) while advancing the NASA-specific HLS modifications. Progress is tangible on paper and in hardware, but real-world flight demonstrations fail to deliver.😂😂😂💥